Ten Useful Tips For Mac

If you're somewhere where silence is paramount, such as a class or library, just hold down the Mute key at startup. Convert any sort of unit within Spotlight. Everyone who uses a Mac has a user account. If you're the only person using your Mac, then you will only need one account. While most Mac users only have a single account on the computers, it can be useful to create additional accounts for friends, family, or coworkers.

Many functions and features in OS X are accessed and controlled by swiping, flicking, tapping and pinching on the surface of a trackpad (or on the top of Apple's accessory Magic Mouse), as well as by pointing and clicking. But like operating systems of yesteryear, Sierra also lets you use a keyboard alone to summon a feature or function, including Siri.

In fact, OS X contains so many 'keyboard shortcuts' — combinations of key presses that invoke a command — that an Apple webpage lists hundreds of them. And if those aren't enough, you can create your own shortcuts by browsing to Apple menu > System Preferences and selecting Keyboard. Click Shortcuts, select app shortcuts and then click Add (+).

What follows here is our choice of the most useful keyboard shortcuts (for all OS X versions, starting with OS X 10.2 Jaguar).

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcuts for navigating among applications, open windows and the desktop

Command Key + Tab – Move forward to the next most recently used application in a list of open applications

Command Key + Q – Quit the frontmost application

Command Key + W – Close the frontmost window

Command Key + Spacebar – Access Spotlight for searching the Web, iCloud and your local files

Command Key + hold down Spacebar – Access Siri

F9 Key – Tile or un-tile all open windows (for quick selection and access)

F10 Key – Tile or un-tile all open windows in the currently active (frontmost) application

F11 Key – Hide or show all open windows

F12 Key – Hide or display Dashboard

Shortcuts to use within open applications and windows

Command Key + N – Create a new document in the frontmost application

Command Key + P – Display the print dialog box

Command Key + S – Saves the active document

Command Key + Shift Key + S – Display the Save As dialog box

Command Key + T – Opens a new tab in a web browser; while in other applications displays the Fonts window

Command Key + Z – Undo previous command (some applications permit multiple Undos)

Command Key + Shift Key + Z – Redo previous command (some applications permit multiple Redos)

Shortcuts for selecting and acting on selected items

Command Key + A – Selects all items in a document or window (or on the desktop if no window is open), or all characters in a text field

Command Key + B – Boldface the selected text or toggle boldfaced text on and off

Command Key + C – Copies selected item or text to the Clipboard

Command Key + E – Uses the selection for a Find

Command Key + I – Italicize the selected text or toggle Italic text on and off

Command Key + V – Paste the Clipboard contents at the location of the cursor

Command Key + X – Cuts the selected item and stores it in the Clipboard

Shortcuts for screen captures

Command Key + Shift Key + 3 – Capture the screen to a file

Command Key + Shift Key + Control Key + 3 – Capture the screen to the Clipboard

Command Key + Shift Key + 4 – Capture a selection to a file

Command Key + Shift Key + Control Key + 4 – Capture a selection to the Clipboard

Shortcuts for navigating the menu bar

Control Key + F2 – Puts the focus on the menu bar, so you can now use the following keyboard shortcuts to navigate through the menu bar menus. (Useful if your portable mouse or portable trackpad has dead batteries and won't operate.)

Left Arrow and Right Arrow – Moves from menu to menu

Return – Opens a selected menu

Up Arrow and Down Arrow – Move to menu items in the selected menu

Type the menu item's name – Jump to a menu item in the selected menu

Return – Select a menu item (within a selected menu)

Shortcuts for using Finder

Command Key + Delete – Move to trash

Up Arrow + Command + Delete – Empty trash

Up Arrow + Command Key + N – Create new folder

Up Arrow + Command Key + A – Go to Applications folder

Shortcuts for using Safari

Command Key + T – Open a new tab

Spacebar – Scroll Down by Full Screen

Shift+Spacebar – Scroll Up by Full Screen

Command + Click a link – Open link in new tab

Did we miss any of your favorites? Share them in a comment.

Updated on 5/30/2019Install mac os x mavericks.app torrent.

[Image credit: closeup of Mac keyboard via BigStockPhoto]

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Right click

Click the right corner of your Apple mouse, or click with two fingers on your Apple trackpad. You can change this in Mouse preferences and Trackpad preferences.

Scroll, swipe, click

Settings for scroll direction, swipe gestures, and button assignments are also in Mouse and Trackpad preferences.

Close & resize windows

Buttons for closing, minimizing, and maximizing a window are in the upper-left corner of the window.

Change volume

Use the volume control in the menu bar, or use the volume keys on your Apple keyboard.

Find files

Use Spotlight to quickly find and open apps, documents, and other files.

Open apps

You can also use Launchpad and the Dock to open your apps (programs).

Browse for files

Looking for Windows File Explorer? Learn about the Finder.

Throw files away

Looking for the Recycle Bin? Use the Trash, which is in the Dock.

Rename files

Click the file once to select it, then press the Return key and type a new name. Press Return when done.

Preview files

Preview most files on your Mac using Quick Look. Click the file once to select it, then press Space bar.

Back up files

Time Machine keeps a copy of all your files, and it remembers how your system looked on any given day.

Change Mac settings

Looking for the Control Panel? Use System Preferences instead.

Many Mac keyboard combinations use the Command (⌘) key. Learn more keys and keyboard shortcuts.

Cut

Copy

Paste

Undo

Print

Close window

Switch apps

Quit app

Forward delete

Find files

Force quit app

Take screenshot

Learn more

• For more information to help you get to know your Mac, use the Help menu in the Finder menu bar.
• What’s it called on my Mac? includes additional Windows and Mac terms.